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More than 154,000 shots have been administered to Texas children through Be Wise — Immunize since 2004.
Overview | How Physicians Can Get Involved | How TMA Alliance Members and Medical Students Can Get Involved | Important Vaccination News | Physician Toolkits | Plan a Be Wise — Immunize Event or Clinic | Be Wise News Room | Preventable Disease Information | Related Links
Be Wise — ImmunizeSM is a public health initiative of the Texas Medical Association. The program combines education and hands-on immunization clinics to increase statewide vaccination rates. Be Wise offers physicians current information and best practices on childhood and adolescent immunization, and educational materials for patients to promote the importance, safety, and effectiveness of vaccines. A panel of pediatricians, family physicians, and infectious diseases specialists oversee Be Wise, providing expert advice on program operation and content.
The work of Be Wise and other immunization initiatives has paid off: Texas achieved its highest vaccination ranking ever for children aged 19 through 35 months in 2008, according to National Immunization Survey. Texas ranked 12nd among the 50 states, up from 41st in 2004 when the Be Wise — Immunize program began.
Watch these videos to learn more about the Be Wise program:
Be Wise — Immunize is a joint initiative of TMA and the TMA Alliance, a volunteer organization of physicians and their spouses, and is funded through a grant from the TMA Foundation. The program began in 2004.
Thanks to H-E-B for a generous gift that provides major support for the Be Wise – Immunize program in 2009 and 2010.
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How Physicians Can Get Involved
For You and Your Practice: Be Wise offers tools to help you implement or enhance existing vaccination practices.
- Use the Be Wise physician childhood (PDF) and adolescent (PDF) toolkits to put vaccination best practices in place in your office. The toolkits inform you and your staff how to use ImmTrac (Texas’ immunization registry), join the Texas Vaccines for Children program, and talk to parents about conscientious objection.
- Take continuing medical education (CME) courses offered through Be Wise. Each year, programs about timely vaccination topics are available to physicians at TexMed, the association’s annual meeting, and other CME programs are offered continually.
- Join the Be Wise Advocates Panel and help get the word out about the importance and safety of vaccinations by writing a letter to the editor, or becoming a spokesperson on vaccinations.
For Your Patients: Be Wise offers materials you can use to educate your patients about vaccines.
- Use Be Wise educational materials (posters, fact and fiction handouts, and more) to educate parents about the importance of properly vaccinating their young children and adolescents. Post these materials in your waiting and exam rooms. The materials are free.
- Host a low-cost/free vaccination clinic after hours or on the weekend.
Get involved today. For more information, e-mail the outreach coordinator or call (512) 370-1470.
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How TMA Alliance Members and Medical Students Can Get Involved
The TMA Alliance and medical student chapters provide grassroots support for the program, spearheading Be Wise efforts in communities across Texas. Activities include:
- Organizing low-cost and free immunization clinics,
- Distributing educational materials at local health fairs, and
- Raising public awareness through presentations to parent-teacher associations and civic organizations
TMA offers a step-by-step guide about how to organize, promote, and execute an event. Plus, we have free outreach materials and merchandise for your event. Get involved today.
Sign up for Buzz, a monthly e-newsletter that keeps you up to date on the Be Wise program. To sign up, e-mail the outreach coordinator or call (512) 370-1470.
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Founding Partner
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Important Vaccination News
Texas Vaccination Rank Soars
Texas jumped from 22nd to 12th nationwide in the immunization rate of infants. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports Texas’ childhood immunization rate increased from 77.3 percent in 2007 to 77.8 percent in 2008. The national average in 2008 was 76.1.
The 2008 rate is an all-time high for Texas and continues an overall upward trend since 2002 when the rate was 65 percent, Texas Department of State Health Services officials said. The CDC's annual National Immunization Survey measures vaccination coverage among children 19 months through 35 months of age.
CDC Offers Flu Publications
The CDC has released several new publications for flu season, including Seasonal and 2009 H1N1 Flu: A Guide for Parents and an updated 2009 H1N1 Flu and You. Feel free to make copies for distribution or add the link to your Web site.
CDC Releases Updated H1N1 Flu Guidelines for Schools
The CDC has released updated flu guidance for schools (day care to higher education), including guidelines for responding to a flu outbreak, a communication toolkit, and more.
CDC Releases Flu Season Guidelines for Businesses, Employers
CDC has new recommendations non-healthcare employers should take to decrease the spread of seasonal flu and H1N1 flu in the workplace and to help maintain business continuity during the 2009–2010 flu season. The guidance includes strategies to use if flu conditions become more severe and recommendations about when a worker who is ill with influenza may return to work. Keep checking back as the document may change based on the severity of the flu season and the impact of H1N1 influenza.
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Physician Toolkits
Be Wise — Immunize has tools to help physicians follow vaccination best practices and overcome barriers to vaccination. The Be Wise — Immunize Toolkit for Children and the Be Wise — Immunize Physician Toolkit for Adolescents are easy-to-use guides, complete with a physician manual and materials you can use in your practice. The toolkits were produced under the guidance of an advisory panel of prominent pediatricians and other physician specialists convened for this purpose.
The toolkits contain best practice guidelines, vaccine safety information, complete details about ImmTrac (Texas' immunization registry), information about the Texas Vaccines for Children program, and more. Check out the patient education materials for placement in your waiting and exam rooms. All materials are in English and Spanish.
Childhood Vaccination
Be Wise—Immunize Physician Toolkit for Children (PDF): Updated in 2008, a comprehensive reference guide on childhood vaccinations for physicians and their staff. Plus, it offers educational materials for your office and patients.
Best Practice
Communication Tools
Vaccine Information
Vaccine Safety
Vaccination Outreach
Childhood Patient Education Materials
Adolescent Vaccination
Be Wise—Immunize Physician Toolkit for Adolescents (PDF ): Updated in 2009, a comprehensive reference guide on adolescent vaccinations for physicians and their staff. Plus, it offers educational materials for your office and patients.
Best Practice
Communication Tools
Vaccine Information
Vaccination Outreach
Adolescent Patient Education Materials
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Plan a Be Wise — Immunize Event or Clinic
TMA has all the tools you need to plan, organize, and implement a free and/or low-cost immunization clinic. Or, if you want to staff a booth at your community health fair, we have free educational materials to educate parents about the importance of vaccinations. Plus, order our free merchandise and Beatrice the Be Wise mascot to make your event fun.
- QuickStart Manual (PDF): A step-by-step guide on how to organize, promote, and carry out an event.
- Event/Order Forms: Order promotional event merchandise and educational materials, request vaccine and supplies, or nursing staff (through Blue Cross Blue Shield's Care Van). You can also find other event-necessary forms.
- Publicity Tools: Items to help you get the word out about your upcoming event(s).
- Photo Release Form (English and Spanish): Taking photos at your event is important. TMA can use these in our publications or you can send them to the newspaper for follow-up coverage of your event. Use this form to get parents’ permission to photograph a child. Without this form, a photograph cannot be reprinted.
- Artwork: Want to add the TMA Be Wise logo to your promotional materials, fliers, and other related materials? Find it here.
Upcoming Be Wise Events
Oct. 29 — Lubbock Educational event, TTUHSC Medical School
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Be Wise News Room
TMA News
- DSHS Only Source of H1N1 Vaccine (Action, Sept. 1, 2009)
- Texas Child Vaccination Rank Soars (Action, Sept. 1, 2009)
- DSHS Extends School Vaccination Period (Action, Sept. 1, 2009)
- Texas Medical Association’s Immunization Program Announces August Vaccination Clinics (News release, July 30, 2009)
- Encourage Parents to Vaccinate Kids Now (Action, July 1, 2009)
- New Laws Boost Immunization Practices (News release, June 20, 2009)
- “No Pertussis Vaccine Equals Big Risk” (Action, June 3, 2009)
- Easy Way to Help Avoid Swine Flu? Wash Often and Hum a Tune as You Do, Texas Physicians Say (News release, April 29, 2009)
- “DSHS Posts Rotavirus Information” Action, April 15, 2009)
- “State Changes Immunization Rules” (Action, April 13, 2009)
- New Texas Study Urges Innovative Immunization Strategies for Adolescents (News release, April 3, 2009)
- “Autism, Vaccination Not Linked, Court Says” (Action, Feb. 16, 2009)
- “DSHS Issues Pentacel Advisory” (Action, Feb. 16, 2009)
Important News on Vaccinations
- Mumps Outbreak — New York, New Jersey, Quebec, 2009 (MMWR, Nov. 12, 2009)
- Anatomy of a Scare (series of articles on autism and vaccines) (Newsweek, March 2, 2009)
- “Invasive Haemophilus influenzae Type B Disease in Five Young Children — Minnesota, 2008” (MMWR, Jan. 23, 2009)
- “ACIP Offers Guidelines on Recently Approved Combination Vaccines for Children” (Journal Watch, Oct. 3, 2008)
- U.S. Study Clears Measles Vaccine of Autism Link (Reuters, Sept. 4, 2008)
- Childhood Vaccinations and Back to School (September 2008)
- “The New McCarthyism: Vaccines & Autism” — an opinion editorial by Ari Brown, MD (Wall Street Journal, Oct. 27, 2007).
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Preventable Disease Information
Pertussis
VIDEO: What Every Parent Needs to Know -- Protecting Your Baby from Pertussis
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Related Links
Be Wise — Immunize is a service mark of the Texas Medical Association.
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Last Published: 11/16/2009 Print this page
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